We as a parish rejoice in the love that you, as a couple, share for one another and the commitment that has been made to bring you to this day in preparation for your marriage.  Your decision to be married in the Church is an indication that the Christian faith and the sacramental life of the Church are important to you.  In the eyes of the Church, marriage is the sacramental union between a man and a woman that is used in the Bible as the image of God’s faithful love for ancient Israel (Isaiah 54; Jeremiah 3; Ezekiel 16) and Christ’s sacrificial relationship to the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Jesus Himself, together with His mother the Theotokos and His disciples attended and blessed a wedding in the city of Cana in Galilee. This is where Jesus Christ performed His first miracle which assisted in the celebration of that joyous and spiritual event (John 2:1-11).

When we say that Christian marriage is a sacrament, we use that word to convey the depths of the bond you are about to enter into. This is a sacramentum practiced in the ancient Roman Empire as the oath of loyalty unto death that a Roman solider took to the emperor when entering the military.  As Christians, the sacrament of marriage is your oath of loyalty unto death to each other and – as a couple – your oath of loyalty unto death to our Lord Jesus Christ through the church.  Christian marriage is intended to be a sign of God’s presence and love in a fallen and broken world.

 COORDINATING YOUR WEDDING

Our administrative staff will assist you with the necessary forms.  They will work with you in all matters pertaining to your wedding, including setting the date, scheduling meetings with our Parish Priest, preparing the necessary church documents and collecting all applicable fees.  Please feel free to ask him any questions you may have regarding your marriage here at Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church.

 SETTING THE DATE 
A couple desiring to be married should first contact the church office to schedule an appointment with the parish priest. It is preferred to schedule both your wedding date and meetings with the parish priest at least six months prior to the desired date so that scheduling conflicts can be avoided.

According to the official policies of our Archdiocese, weddings may not be celebrated during the fasting seasons or the major feast days of our Church:

  • December 13-25 (The Advent and Christmas season)
  • January 5-6 (Epiphany)
  • February 2 (the Presentation of the Lord to the Temple)
  • Great Lent and Holy Week (usually mid-February, the entire month of March and part of April)
  • August 1-15 (the fast of the Theotokos)
  • August 29 (the beheading of John the Baptist)
  • September 14 (the Exaltation of the Cross)
  • The Ascension
  • Pentecost

This is in keeping with our ancient way of celebrating the Christian mystery in worship and exceptions can be made only rarely, in extreme circumstances, with the permission of the bishop.

 Wedding Rehearsals will be offered only on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6-9 and depending on availability. Ideally you should try to schedule your wedding rehearsal the week leading up to your wedding day.

Father Theologos Drakos  Office: 905-238-9491 | Mobile: 647-746-4272  |  Email: FatherTheo@ProphetElias.ca


THE COUPLE TO BE MARRIED:  SACRAMENTAL PRESUPPOSITIONS 

Because marriage is a sacrament, weddings cannot be celebrated in a spiritual vacuum.  This, therefore, presupposes that:

At least one of the couple to be married is an Orthodox Christian, baptized and /or chrismated in the Church, committed to Christ and His Church and an active steward for at least a year prior to the date of the wedding;

and

The intended spouse, if not Orthodox, is a Christian baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as commanded by the Lord (Matthew 28:19). Because of the sacramental nature of the marriage bond (in which a couple not only pledge their love for each other but also their love for Christ) a wedding between an Orthodox Christian and a non-Christian may not be celebrated in the Church.

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